Golf

Massive rainfall in the Bahamas has put a damper on the LPGA Tour's inaugural Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, with much of the golf course still under water and the first of four scheduled rounds already washed out.

What to do? Play the holes that are playable.

The LPGA will begin the tournament on Friday with a 12-hole round. The Tour tweeted on Thursday:

In an effort to complete at least 36 holes this week ... the 12 currently playable holes will be used in Friday's first round.

Meanwhile, course workers continue trying to remove standing water - in some places quite deep - from around the course. A couple more holes at the most might be ready by Saturday, and the tour hopes to be able to play the full 18 holes by Sunday.

Photo: That's not a pond in the photo above, it's what the 18th hole and surrounding areas of the Ocean Course Golf Club still looked like on Friday. (Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images)

In a press conference Wednesday morning at the site of the BMW PGA Championship near London, Sergio Garcia issued a strong apology for a comment he made the night before directed at Tiger Woods.

At the press conference, carried live on Golf Channel, Garcia said, "As soon as I left the dinner, I started getting a sick feeling in my body. I didn't really sleep at all last night. I felt like my heart was going to come out of my body. I had this sick feeling all day."

That's because the night before, at a gala event at Wentworth Club, Garcia was asked by the emcee if he planned to invite Woods over for dinner. Garcia responded by saying, "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken." Read More...

As of Jan. 1, 2016 - when Rule 14-1b officially goes into effect - anchored putting strokes will be banned on the LPGA Tour. The LPGA issued a statement in reaction to today's USGA/R&A announcement that the governing bodies are going ahead with the anchoring ban, and in it became the first U.S. tour to accept the ruling.

Here is the LPGA's statement:

The LPGA has consistently conducted our official events in accordance with the Rules of Golf as established by the USGA and the R&A. We recognize the need for an independent governing body to maintain the rules of the game. We trust in the ability and expertise of both the USGA and R&A to make the decisions that are in the best interests of the game.

The USGA provided ample time and opportunity for us to not only educate our players, but also to solicit input, concerns and feedback surrounding Rule 14-1b. While we know that not every one of our members is in favor of the rule change, the LPGA will continue to respect and follow the Rules of Golf which includes the implementation of Rule 14-1b in January of 2016.

Two organizations that were vocal in their opposition to the proposed anchoring ban (Rule 14-1b) have issued statements today following the USGA/R&A decision to move forward with the ban.

First, the PGA Tour:

PGA TOUR acknowledges that the USGA has adopted Rule 14-1b which prohibits anchored putting as of January 1, 2016.

We would like to thank the USGA for providing the opportunity for input and suggestions relative to Rule 14-1b over the last several months. During that time, various questions were raised and issues discussed. We will now begin our process to ascertain whether the various provisions of Rule 14-1b will be implemented in our competitions and, if so, examine the process for implementation.

In this regard, over the next month we will engage in discussions with our Player Advisory Council and Policy Board members.

We will announce our position regarding the application of Rule 14-1b to our competitions upon conclusion of our process and we will have no further comment on the matter until that time.

Three months ago, I wrote a commentary titled, "Why the PGA Tour will ultimately go along with anchoring ban."

Now, here are portions of the PGA of America's statement:

We are disappointed with this outcome. As we have said publicly and repeatedly during the comment period, we do not believe 14-1b is in the best interest of recreational golfers and we are concerned about the negative impact it may have on both the enjoyment and growth of the game. Growing the game is one of the fundamental purposes of The PGA of America. ...

At this point in time, The PGA will digest the USGA and R&A's decision to proceed with Rule 14-1b and discuss this matter with our Board of Directors, PGA Sections and, of course, our 27,000 PGA Professionals throughout the country. Our Board will convene in late June during our PGA Professional National Championship and at that time, we will decide how best to proceed. In addition, we will continue to confer with the PGA Tour as they similarly digests this information.

In the meantime, we will immediately do what we do best -- teach the game. Since the end of November, The PGA Instruction Committee has been working on a process whereby our PGA Professionals can help with the transition from anchored putters to a non-anchored stroke in anticipation of this decision. Our PGA Professionals have always embraced our role as problem solvers when it comes to making the game better and more enjoyable for those who play it.

See also:
LPGA will adopt anchoring ban

The USGA and R&A announced Tuesday morning the adoption of Rule 14-1b - the ban on anchored strokes - effective Jan 1, 2016. So as of that date, anchoring a belly putter or long putter will be against the Rules of Golf.

The decision to affirm the proposed rule - after its original unveiling last year, and following a 90-day comment period - comes despite loud opposition from both the PGA Tour and the PGA of America, and from some rank-and-file golfers. Almost all of that opposition was inside the United States, however; in territories governed by the R&A (essentially the rest of the world), opposition to the proposed anchoring ban was virtually absent.

It will be very interesting to watch the reactions of the PGA Tour and PGA of America now, and particularly to hear the reactions of professional golfers who anchor longer putters. Some of those, such as Adam Scott, have already said they'll continue using their long putters but with a small adjustment - moving the butt end of the putter off their bodies (in other words, removing the anchor point). Others, like Ernie Els, say they'll go back to a conventional putter. But others, such as Keegan Bradley, Carl Petterss0n and Tim Clark, have been far more vocal in opposition to the ban, even suggesting the possibility of legal action. (Nearly three months ago I wrote a commentary titled "Why the PGA Tour will ultimately go along with anchoring ban.")

As for recreational golfers: Just keep in mind that the Rule 14-1b does not ban belly putters and long putters, only anchoring those putters. If you need a broomstick putter because of back problems, you can go right on using one - just move your top hand off your chest (eliminate the anchor point). If you anchor a belly putter to fight the yips, try bracing a belly putter against your forearm instead (the Matt Kuchar stroke, which remains legal under 14-1b).

In other words: Don't panic. There are options, and there'll be more coming as equipment manufacturers and golf instructors react to the rule and explore alternative means and methods. Plus, you have 2 1/2 years to continue anchoring, while experimenting with different styles of putters or putting.

When Rule 14-1b goes into effect in the 2016 Rules, it will read thusly:

14-1b Anchoring the Club
In making a stroke, the player must not anchor the club, either "directly" or by use of an "anchor point."

Note 1: The club is anchored "directly" when the player intentionally holds the club or a gripping hand in contact with any part of his body, except that the player may hold the club or a gripping hand against a hand or forearm.

Note 2: An "anchor point" exists when the player intentionally holds a forearm in contact with any part of his body to establish a gripping hand as a stable point around which the other hand may swing the club.

Both the USGA and R&A have sections on their websites detailing the decision to implement Rule 14-1b, and great photos and videos explaining what types of putting strokes are (and are not) affected by the new rule. See the USGA anchoring section or the R&A anchoring section.

What you need to know about Rule 14-1b

See also:
PGA Tour, PGA of America statements
LPGA will adopt anchoring ban

One of Europe's biggest tournaments takes place this week at Wentworth Club near London, the BMW PGA Championship. And befitting that "European major" status, most of the top Euro players are there.

The field includes Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell (coming off a win at the Volvo World Match Play Championship), Ernie Els, Branden Grace, Martin Kaymer, Nicolas Colsaerts, Francesco Molinari and Darren Clarke.

And Peter Uihlein. Uihlein, a 23-year-old American, won his first tournament as a pro at last week's Madeira Islands Open. He was the 2010 U.S. Amateur champ. If his surname is familiar, that's because his father, Wally Uihlein, is CEO of the Acushnet Company. As in Titleist. If the CEO of another equipment manufacturer is feeling cheeky, he'd throw a lot of money at Peter and see what happens. (We all probably know what would happen.)

Donald is the defending champ at the BMW PGA, and he's going for his third consecutive win in the event. If he gets it, Donald would join Colin Montgomerie as the only golfers to win three in a row.

The PGA Tour is in Fort Worth for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Zach Johnson is the defending champion. The solid field includes Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Charl Schwartzel, Jordan Spieth, Jason Dufner, Jim Furyk, Hunter Mahan and David Toms.

And the LPGA Tour debuts a new event this week, the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. Among those in the field is Jennifer Johnson, coming off victory at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. That win gets Johnson squarely into the mix for the U.S. Solheim Cup team; she's now No. 10 in the point standings.

Little more than a week after he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, Ken Venturi is dead. He died Friday afternoon at the age of 82.

Venturi - whose Hall of Fame induction was long overdue for his contributions to the game as a player, instructor and broadcaster - was unable to attend the induction ceremony last week in Florida. He was hospitalized at the time, and had been for nearly two months.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, which received the news of Venturi's passing from his son, Matt, "Venturi had been hospitalized for more than two months in Southern California. He developed infections in his back, pneumonia and later an intestinal infection."

As a player, Venturi was a 14-time PGA Tour winner, with one major championship victory - the 1964 U.S. Open - but was involved in several high-profile, and now storied, tournaments.

Venturi is probably best-remembered today as a broadcaster, however. He was, along with (for much of his career) Pat Summerall, the voice of CBS Sports' golf telecasts, including The Masters.

The Chronicle has a nice photo collection of Venturi's career along with more details.

The USGA and R&A will conduct a news conference on Tuesday, May 21, to announce the final decision on the proposed anchoring ban. And we can all watch it live, either on television or via webcast.

Golf Channel will televise the announcement beginning at 8 a.m. (EST), or you can watch a live webcast at usga.org/anchoring.

What do you think the announcement will be - that proposed Rule 14-1b will take effect; or that the proposed anchoring ban is being called off?

In my view, it will be shocking if the proposed ban is not confirmed. There has been practically no resistance to the proposed ban in R&A territories, while in USGA territories multiple major players, including the PGA Tour and the PGA of America, have howled in protest. But all the signs and all the scuttlebutt point toward the ban moving forward, and that's what I expect to hear on Tuesday.

We don't have long to wait now.

Keegan Bradley got the 2013 HP Byron Nelson Championship off to a hot start with a 60 in the first round. Scores of 60 are still pretty rare on the PGA Tour - it's happened only 28 times in tour history.

Byron Nelson himself never carded a 60 in a tour event. But he did plenty of other things. For example, that year he won 18 times.

That was 1945, and it's one of the most famous years a golfer has ever had. Yes, Nelson's accomplishments that year - 18 wins in tour events, including 11 consecutive - were aided along by weaker fields due to World War II. But it was also aided by Nelson's incredible scoring performances that year - he had more rounds below 65 than he had above 72.

Nelson also finished second seven times in 1945. So 30 starts in what are now counted as official PGA Tour tournaments, 25 times in the Top 2. Yep, that's a pretty good year.

Check out the full record:
Byron Nelson's 1945 tournament results

The Up the Hill Drill helps golfers who are fighting a slice learn the feel of an inside-to-outside swing path, one that will help them stop cutting across the face of the golf ball. But it's not just for golfers who have a slice. If you want to turn that little fade into a distance-enhancing draw the Up the Hill Drill can help with that, too.

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• Golf instruction videos
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